GABRIOLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
680 North Road, Gabriola, BC VOR lXO Phone: (250) 247-9342 Fax: (250) 247-8639 Mrs. Gurr Kindergarten/Grade One Div.6 Room 202 November 2016 Intro Thanks parents for coming in for interviews and for all your help in October, it was an exciting month with so many special events and activities. Your support was greatly appreciated. Student Responsibilities The back and forth folders and planners continue to be sent home every day. With this, your child is learning to take responsibility which carries over to other belongings as well. We are not yet in a consistent routine to return library books by Tuesday. Please help your child remember that library books need to be back by Tuesday each week. Theme Digest Our theme for this month is going to focus on bears (real and fictional). If you have any books, games, stories and learning materials that may enhance our learning theme please send it to school with your child to incorporate into our learning. Be sure anything that you send to school is labeled with your child’s name. Remind your child that toys from home stay at home and toys from school stay at school. Birthday Broadcast No birthdays to celebrate this month. Social Skills Synopsis Our social skills focus will be on interrupting politely. The steps to reinforce at home and school are as follows: Interrupting politely
Parent Volunteers Beach clean-up helpers were so appreciated and kept close track of their little and big charges. Big thanks to the brave pumpkin carving parents and grandparents who so willingly helped us carve 20 Jack-o-lanterns on Halloween. Thanks also for some amazing healthy treats sent in for our Halloween lunch, it was like a catered party! There are some forgotten bowls spoons and odds and ends in the classroom, so please check if you’re missing things Classroom Helpers We need regular and occasional classroom helpers, if you can spare some time for us please sign the attached calendar and send it back to me. Make sure you have a current criminal records check on file with us at school. There are ongoing tasks listed on a clipboard on the wall by the door. Always check-in at the office to get a pass and silently slip into the classroom at the time you have signed up for. I greatly appreciate the help and the children benefit as well. Your efforts and assistance greatly enhance the richness of our learning environment. Gym Journal In the gym this month we will be doing creative movement and dance activities. On Mondays (rain or shine) we go outdoors for gym for an endurance run and games to increase our stamina. We have a dance specialist (Chiara Ackerman) coming in to do some Hip Hop with us on Friday, November 18th. Learning Outdoors We will be taking our learning outdoors as often as possible. Mondays will be outdoor gym days and Fridays will be forest days. We will also go outdoors often during the middle of the week. Now that the weather is wetter, please be sure your child is prepared for outdoor learning each day. The expectations for the outdoor classroom are: Respect the space Respect each other Respect the boundaries You may find us outside at the end of each day for an outdoor circle game on the school’s front lawn. Dismissal will still happen for ones out the school back door and K’s from the classroom outer front door. Brain Science Here’s what brain research says will make you happy:
On this note we have been singing a song in our classroom that states what we are grateful for, it goes like this: We are thankful for our friends We are thankful for our friends Our friends make us feel great! And for that we celebrate! We replace the word friends each round with another thing we are thankful for. See if your child will teach you this song. Kids Cooking I am hoping to find two parent helpers who are willing to come do Kids-Cooking with us on a weekly or biweekly basis. The children usually love this cooking time! If you are able to make a regular commitment for this please let me know. I provide the recipes and materials you only need to provide your time and guidance with one small group at a time. Field Trip Quarter On November 22, we will be going on a walking trip to the Gabriola Island Library where the children can use their library card to choose a bear story or factual book and take part in a story time. We will also find out about what it is like to have a job as a librarian through a tour and discussion. We invite 3 or 4 parents to join us. Next month we will be going on a trip to the Gabriola Museum. More on this in next month’s newsletter. Show and Tell Bulletin After we complete everyone’s All About Me sharing our show and tell activity will be in the form of a very special classroom teddy bear, coming for sleepovers at each child’s home. When Teddy arrives at your home he/she will have with him/her the “bear necessities” including some items of clothing, personal items, a boo-boo blanket and a diary. At the end of Teddy’s visit at your house be sure to help your child pack up all his/her belongings and write in the diary, your child’s story about what Teddy did at your house. Also have your child draw a picture to go with the words written. We will read the diary the next day in class. Then teddy will be passed along to the next child on the list for another sleepover. Empathy and Caring Ms. Gilroy is trying to set up visits for our classroom with a special baby and parent. If it works out the baby and parent will visit our classroom regularly so that we can develop an understanding of early development and to practice our empathy, kindness, and caring skills. Remembrance Day Assembly The Remembrance Day assembly will take place on Thursday, November the 10th.(11 am.) We will all wear a poppy for this assembly. Please send in a small donation for a poppy any time this week. Reading with Rudy Mr. Cook will be joining us for an hour each Friday with his dog Rudy so that the children can each have a turn reading to Rudy. Learning support at Home Don’t forget to check out my website for lots of great learning supports and ideas mrsgurrs.weebly.com K’s- If your child is ready and wants to practice cutting skills, please have him/her cut out strips of old newspaper, cut up yarn or straws, cut paper from the recycling bin make it messy, relaxed and fun. Try circles and simple shapes too. Show your child how to hold the paper and scissors (thumbs up on the scissors and the paper while we hold it). Ones – continue to encourage your child to create arts and crafts that require cutting and fine motor skills. Choose activities that are challenging for them. See how much they can do on their own and only provide support before frustration sets in. You may be surprised! Professional Development Have you ever wondered what teachers are doing on professional development days? Here is what I have been doing lately: July 5 to 8th – completed a course at VIU, Assistive Technology August 22 to 24 – attended a conference at UBC, Inclusion Practices, and Self-regulated Learning. October 15 – attended a Workshop in Cumberland, Taking Literacy Outdoors October 21 – attended the Primary Leadership Conference in Nanaimo and went to workshops on Early Math Learning and Primary Science. In November I will be attending The Nature of Play Conference and I’ll be learning about mindfulness and play. Teachers are life-long learners! I enjoy working with you and your child. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or leave me a note in the planner or back and forth folder. Sincerely yours, Mrs. Kathy L. Gurr EXTRA! EXTRA! . . . DATES TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR: Mondays - Early dismissal (1:32) Tuesdays – Library day Nov. 2 and 16 - Hot Lunch Nov. 9 – Scholastic book order due Nov.10 - Remembrance Day assembly Nov. 11 - No school Nov. 18 – Hip Hop lesson in gym class Nov.22 - Trip to Gabe Library(10:30-11:30
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AuthorI am a teacher with over 25 years of teaching experience including all grades from kindergarten to grade seven. I am a Primary Specialist with a diverse educational background in Individualization, Learning Support, Behaviour Support and Home-Learning Support. Archives
May 2017
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